Thrashing The Beans....

Farming...if you had told me I would be a farmer's wife many years ago....

I would not have believed you!

In fact, my Mother very often tells me that she can't believe I am living the life I am living!

Some days it is really, really good...and some days it's not.  We have had our share of crop

failure...actually sometimes I feel like we have had more than our share!;)

The thing I do love about farming is the life my children have been able to live because of it.

They know how things grow.

They know that things live and things die...very often out of our control.

They also know what it feels like to work hard...and pray with all the faith they can

gather...that whatever we are growing at the moment, will be blessed to yield well and be protected from

the elements.  The Farmer has done a good job at shielding them from the stresses related to farming...

and his been quick to teach them gratitude when the harvest is boutiful.  Farming teaches many things

to children.  It teaches them frugality...It teaches them hard work....It teaches them faith.....

It teaches them how good it feels to be rewarded for your hard work. The Boy learned early on

how to take apart a motor and put it back together...and now is able to fix most anything that is broken...

I often say..."with a piece of bailing wire"....The Darlings know that this is a family operation and without

them it won't work as well as it should...that they have a responsibility to help.

Yesterday, The Rooster, had a vacation day from school.  As usual...he really wanted to spend his day

at The Farm...driving a tractor.  So, The Farmer heard his plea...and loaded him into his truck and

headed to The Farm.  What The Rooster didn't know was that Bean Thrashing was going on at The Farm....

and The Farmer had other plans for him.  Tractor driving...you bet....but that would be AFTER...he

helped with the Thrashing of the beans.  So, off they went...The Rooster with tractor dreams in his mind...

and The Farmer with hard work on his mind.

The Rooster spent the day picking up mounds of beans that had been left to dry in the field.  The mounds

were thrown upon a trailer...this is all done by hand...walking....scooping up a mound of beans, with a pitch fork...and then tossing it onto the back of a trailer...walking again....scooping again....well you get the idea.

This went on ALL day..and very often The Rooster would send a text message that would say something

like...."hey, I am ready to come home...can you come get me..."  to which The Farmer would

reply..."sure...in a little while....keep working..."  The Rooster got to take his turn driving the tractor that

was hauling the beans....but then...the other men wanted to drive the tractor too...that is the fun part of the

job...so he had to wait for his turn.  Once the beans were loaded, the tractor headed for the thrashing

machines.  By this time...it was early evening and The Farmer invited me for a drive to The Farm...it

was time to pick up The Rooster and bring him home.  When we arrived we found The Rooster on top of

the wagon...scooping the mounds of beans into the thrashing machine.

AND HE WAS HAPPY!!!

The Farmer said this on our way to The Farm..."You watch...The Rooster will be really tired from his long

day of work...but he will be happy and he will feel like he really accomplished something great!"

The Farmer was right.

The thrashing maching was blowing bean fodder everywhere!

And...I made the grave mistake of standing down wind...and found myself covered with fodder

in just a few seconds....It was very itchy!!!

As the beans run through the thrashing machine...they are separated...the beans go one direction..

into bags that are waiting...and the fodder is thrown another direction.  Later it is bailed and used for cattle feed.  Another lesson in farming...leave nothing to waste!

You can really see in the background of this picture how dusty it was!

The process was fun to watch...even more fun...was watching The Rooster feel joy for

his long day of working hard.

When we arrived home he announced...."do you know what I had to eat today??"

Knowing he had arrived at The Farm without a lunch...I asked "what did you eat today???"

Happily he replied..."two bean with cheese...two papa's con queso....(all burritos) and

they tasted really good!  I think they were the best I have eaten!"  And I replied...

"food tastes pretty good when you have been working hard...doesn't it??"

The Rooster replied..."Oh...yes it does!"

Once home...The Rooster headed for the shower....and can I just say...

the shower was FULL of bean fodder when he was done.....another sign of a good days work!!